Variations of a typical car jack or “jack stand” are available in the marketplace, but they are not designed to support a vehicle by its hubs. Vehicle support devices which do not attach to a vehicle's hub cannot be used for taking certain measurements and making certain adjustments. Because they do not attach to hubs, they do not compress a vehicle's suspension into a static, loaded configuration and, therefore, do not allow for measurement of suspension settings with the wheels removed.
Known devices which support a vehicle by its hubs are limited to gross height adjustments at a few select heights. Such a device, among other things, cannot emulate nor accurately reflect unique suspension geometry characteristics or facilitate specific measurements necessary in racing applications, for example.
Amateur racers and track personnel, for example, may wish to make their own ride-height, camber, caster, toe and corner weight adjustments, but do not have, or have access to, an automobile lift or suspension rack. Typically, these adjustments and settings need to be measured with the suspension in a compressed, static load state, i.e. sitting on wheels/tires with the suspension carrying the weight of the vehicle. For cars with full fenders, these adjustments typically are done with the wheels on the vehicle only if a professional suspension alignment rack is used. With access to such a lift or an alignment rack, many of the adjustments are made from underneath the car with the suspension load released. Without access to an alignment rack, these adjustments are done separately with the wheels removed and the suspension load released for each and every individual adjustment for each and every measurement category at each of the vehicle's four hubs. Four measurements/adjustments which are often taken/made (for each of a vehicle's wheels) are: ride height, camber, caster, toe and corner weight. With multiple adjustments and measurements required for each alignment category at each wheel, the continual measurement, wheel removal, adjustment, wheel replacement, re-measurement, removal, re-adjustment, replacement, re-measurement process is extremely time consuming and tiring. There is a need, therefore, for an improved vehicle support assembly which supports vehicles at their hubs and an improved vehicle support assembly which allows suspension adjustments and measurements without wheels and tires in the way.